Malathi Jayawickrama’s first inspirations to paint came in her early childhood, as she found peace capturing the tranquil water scenes of her native Sri Lanka’s lakes, waterfalls, oceans, and rice fields. She came to the US for undergraduate work in Economics at Williams College but never lost her love for art and art history.

Malathi returned to painting in 2006, after completing her doctoral studies and raising two children. Her painting first served as therapy to cope with the tragic death of her brother. “When I paint, my mind remains in the present moment. When I reflect on how I got back to painting, my thoughts always go back to my brother.”

Malathi has been painting for many years under the guidance of Glen Kessler, and has had the privilege of attending workshops with Walt Bartman, Alyssa Monks, and Duane Keiser. She has exhibited paintings in numerous group shows, and won several awards. Her most recent passion has been to capture the beauty, colors, shapes, and shadows of flowers, and she finds it exciting to translate these details onto large canvases. Several pieces from her collection of white peonies now reside in private collections.

Malathi is an economist and works at the World Bank in Washington, DC, and dedicates her free time to artistic study. She also volunteers at the Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health, to help share the healing power of art and to allow children to have a creative outlet painting animals.

You can view her work on her website: malathij.weebly.comand on her Facebook page: Art by Malathi@Facebook

Please contact her for commissions and prices, at (301) 922-5968 (cell) or email her at: malathisj@gmail.com